Claude a



No. 624,545. Patented May 9, I899.

C. A. 0. ROSELL. DEVICE FOR PROMOTING GROWTH OF HAIR;

(Application filed Nov. 28, 1898.)

(No Model.)

I VlT/VESSES 0.. mmoumu. WASHINGYON n c UNITED STATES PATE T ()FFICE.

oLAUnE A. o-EosELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CAPILLARYCHALICE COMPANY, on sAME PLAcE.

DEVICE FOR PROMOTING GROWTH OF HAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,545, dated May 9,1899.

Application filed November 28, 1898. Serial No. 697,601. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLAUDE A. O. .RosELL, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Device for Promoting theGrowth of Hair, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to a surgical cupping device designed forpromoting the growth of hair and other purposes.

With this object inview the invention consists in an elastic cuppingdevice having certain details of construction and arrangements of parts,as will be hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in theclaims.

['5 By means of repeated applications of my elastic cupping device tothe scalp a flow of blood to the scalp is secured, resulting in aloosening of and a free circulation of the blood through the scalp evenin the absence of the cupping device. Besides the special action uponthe scalp, the elastic cupping device has numerous and importanttherapeutic applications in the development of tissue, where needed, inthe treatment of atrophied conditions of the various parts of the body,&c., being incomparably the most efficient and convenient device for drycupping, which thus for the first time becomes easily available as amode of treatment.

Illustrations showing various forms of such a pneumatic cup or dish areshown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is .a verticalsection of one form of elastic cup or dish. Fig. II is an elevation ofan inverted cup, showing the interior of a cup with lute or ointmentapplied to the periphery. Fig. III shows the cup applied to the scalp.Fig. IV is an elevation of an elastic dish of oblong shape. Fig. V is asection of 40 another modification of the dish or cup.

In Fig. I, A indicates the thickest portion of the cup, B the taperingside, and G the expanded bell-shaped base.

In Fig. II the letter'a indicates that portion of the interior of thecup carrying the lute.

In Fig. V, A is the bottom of the cup, 13 is the side, and O is theexpanded or bellshaped base.

The material of which the cup is made is should be of sufficientthickness to produce the requisite lifting tension when the cup iscompressed upon the surface to be treated. The cup may be made in twoways, either sulficiently thick to merely flare out 'on compression, asshown in Fig. I, or of comparatively slight thickness, as shown in Fig.V, so as to cause buckling or denting on com pression. Cups of theformer kind maybe called non-den ting cups,and cups of the lat 6o terkind may be called buckle cups. Such buckle cups may be made of materialnot more than one-sixteenth of an inch at the point of greatestthickness and with them the vacuum produced may be kept exceedingly lowand uniform, securing a gentleness of action never before known intheap'plication of theprinciple of dry cupping. In the use of such cupsas blood and lymph flow into the space where the partial vacuum prevailsand raise a lump the cup gradually relaxes, whereby the vacuum ismaintained practically uniform. Non-denting cups are preferably soconstructed that the thickness of the walls diminishes toward the edge.As a sample of suitable dimensions of such a cup may be given thefollowing figures: thickness of cup at the bottom, five-eighths of aninch; thickness of the cup at the periphery, oneeighth of an inch;internal depth of cup, one inch; diameter, four inches.

In order that the edge of the cup may not indent the skin, the peripheryof the cup is generally of a bell shape, as shown in the drawings.

The cup in use serves the purpose of airpump, outlet valve, and vacuum-chamber. The edge of the cup serves as outlet-valve, the resilientportion of the cup serves as an exhaust-pump, and the interior spacebetween the skin and the interior surface of the cup serves as avacuum-chamber. In some cases the cup may be made to fit air-tight byadhesion merely. Generally, however, it is necessary to prevent the airfrom entering at the edge or periphery. This result is readily attainedby internally coating or covering the cup either throughout or merely atthe periphery, as shown at a, Fig. II, with a coat- 5 preferably purePara rubber. The bottom ing of suitable lute or ointment, such as cold10o cream, petroleum,- or beeswax, or preferably by means of a lutepossessing desirable medicinal or nutrient properties, in which case thelute serves the double purpose of securing a tight joint and ofconveying medicinal or nutrient agents to the scalp. I

It is evident that the lute applied to the scalp alone insufiicient-quantity to impart enough of the same to the interior of thecup or the interior surface around the periphery when the cup is appliedto the scalp and secures a tight-joint just as if the lute had beenapplied to the interior of the cup directly, and this course may also befollowed in applying exhaust dishes or cups to other portions of thebody.

By the use of the device described baldness is readily cured in allcases depending upon atrophy of the scalp, and where baldness is causedby organic disease the device is useful in connection with the propercourse of medication.

So expeditious and efficient is this device in its action of startinggrowths of hair on heads bald for years that it affords ready andreliable means of ascertaining whether the roots of the hair areremaining, which cannot be ascertained by any other known means.

In general therapeutics the pneumatic cup or dish is of the greatestvalue, as it can be given an annular shape, an arc shape, or any shapedesired, and by varying its thickness it is'possible to obtain either avery powerful or the most gentle action, according to the requirement ineach case.

By selecting the proper thickness the cups may very conveniently be wornat night or they may be worn in the daytime under a skull-cap or fezwithout interfering with ordinary pursuits.

If very powerful cups are used on the scalp, the action of the partialvacuum for a few minutes only at a time is necessary to obtainadvantageous results.

By the use of the cups described not only does the blood rise to thescalp under diminished pressure, but the scalp becomes loosened, nomatter how tightly it' may previously have fitted over the skull, andwhen the scalp has thus been loosened it ceases to impede the normalcirculation of the blood among the roots of the'hair, and as aconsequence there is a proliferation of cells and a new formation ofblood-vessels.

If desired, a suitable antiseptic agent, such as diluted formaldehyde,may be applied to the scalp immediately before applying the cup, so thatthe liquid or vaporized antiseptic agent may be confined by the cup. Anutrient, an antiseptic, and other medicinal agentsuch, forexample, aswool-fat and Inethyl-salicylatemay also be used together and be confinedby the cup.

I claim- 1. A surgical cupping device consisting of an imperforate cupor dish of elastic material having an outwardly flaring rim integraltherewith.

2. A surgical cupping device consisting of an imperforato cup or dishofelastic material having an outwardly-flaring rim of gradually decreasingor tapering thickness.

A surgical cupping device consisting of a cup or dish of elasticmaterial having a thickened crown or center and an outwardlyflaring rim.

4. A surgical cupping device consisting of a cup or dish of elasticmaterial havinga thickened crown or center and a thin outwardly-flaringrim the walls tapering from the thickened crown or center to the thinoutwardly-flaring rim, whereby the device is adapted to form anair-tight joint with a yielding. surface and to change the line ofcontact therewith while maintaining the airtight joint.

5. A surgical cupping'device in the form of an elastic cup or dish withflaring rim adapted to have a lute or ointment applied to the interiorsurface thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE A. O. ROSELL.

\Vitnesses:

ELISHA K. CAMP, O. A. L. MASSIE.

